


Pretty Boy

by MikaMyers



Series: Persona 4: Hope [Side Stories] [1]
Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, Just some writing for a bigger story i have planned, M/M, Pre-Canon, Writing Exercise, host!Yu
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-02-08 17:54:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18628306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MikaMyers/pseuds/MikaMyers
Summary: Hanamura Yosuke didn't realize that breaking the news about him moving would be so easy. Getting rid of the silver-haired host's words was much harder.





	Pretty Boy

**Author's Note:**

> This is literally me just getting the ball rolling for a bigger story I have planned altogether. I wanted to get some of the pre-canon stuff out just to test the water and maybe sharpen my writing skills in the process too. Just a small disclaimer, Yu is referenced as "Gin" in this fic because hosts tend to have work names and I don't imagine him just casually giving his real name out to someone on the street. Kind of basic of a name but basic never hurt anybody. Anyways, hope you enjoy.

“You better text us all the time!”   
  
“Yeah! I’m sure life is gonna be so exciting out in the sticks.”   
  
“I bet he’ll develop an accent by the time he visits us again!”   
  
Yosuke chuckled at the jokes made at his expense, feeling the warmth of arms laying on his shoulders, giving an affirmative squeeze. He was dreading that his friends were going to make it a big deal, but he was pleasantly surprised when it became just one big joke to laugh at.   
  
Maybe that was worded wrong. No, it was just their way of showing they cared. Yeah, that’s it!   
  
Takeo gave him a pat on the back, his typical smirk in place as he pretended to wipe an imaginary tear from his eye. “Please remember us once your gone, Hanamura. My heart will break if you decide to leave me in the dust.”    
  
A roll of brown eyes followed. “Yeah yeah, I’m sure I’ll be coming back to collect the pieces.” Yosuke gave a laugh alongside the rest of the group, feeling any worries and stresses leaving. Why was he so terrified to tell them this? It all worked out in the end. Just because he was going to be moving away didn’t mean their friendship would just crumble up and blow away.   
  
Then… why did it feel like something was wrong?   
  
They continued down the street, laughing and joking like nothing was the matter, like nothing hadn’t changed. Yosuke’s pace began to slow down, his friends becoming farther and farther from his grasp.   
  
His head rolled to the right, staring at the various establishments that he had been accustomed to passing every day. All that would just be… gone. 

 

Gone.   
  
He paused.   
  
…

 

“Excuse me..”   
  
Yosuke jumped when a foreign man stepped in front of him, a piece of paper in his hand. He really must’ve gotten lost in his thoughts because he could’ve sworn he hadn’t crossed the street.    
  
Neither had he remembered this stranger…   
  


They stared down at him, clearly having a few inches of height of Yosuke, silvery hair spilling over right above their eyes. His face showed little in terms of emotion, instead staring directly into Hanamura’s eyes.

 

“U-Uh, is something the matter? What do you want?” Yosuke’s tone displayed more of an edge than he had meant to. But it wasn’t like every day some random guy just showed up and walked right into your face. This was justified… probably.

 

They finally smiled, a mere twitch of their upper-lip pulling upwards but it was something nonetheless. “I didn’t mean to start off on the wrong foot. You can call me Gin, and I work at the club just down the corner.” He pointed to a glitzy building that was a few yards away from the pair. “You’re definitely what we’re looking for in terms of employment.”

 

Oh, now he got it. Yosuke felt like a complete dumbass at that moment. With the black suit, gelled hair, this guy was clearly a host.

 

A… different looking one at that. Yosuke had always heard the rumors of only gay or effeminate men working as hosts. At least, his friends had told him anyways. And he had never sought a reason to disprove it. Those guys… they were pretty. Not like Yosuke found them pretty, but he had heard girls around his school thinking they were like boyfriends without the work, the ones you could spill your heart out to and listen while they smile and nodded. What sane man would ever want such a job?

 

But, this guy seemed different. Yosuke couldn’t place his finger on it but he wasn’t what he would think of for a gay guy. No, there wasn’t any plucking or tweezing, that feminine posture they all seemed to have or the girly voice and mannerisms. He just seemed… normal. Average. 

 

Yosuke rubbed the back of his neck, hair shaking as he gave him a no. “Sorry, no can do. I’m actually moving away soon. Plus… don’t think I’m really the type of guy for that work.”

 

Gin blinked, eyebrows becoming furrowed in thought. “Why not? You definitely got the looks for it, and I can already tell you would be a hit with the girls.” 

 

Another easy smile, another casual comment.

 

“You barely know me!” Yosuke exclaimed, failing to realize that he had stepped closer to Gin or the fact that he was just given another compliment.

 

The silver-haired boy simply shrugged his shoulders. “Sometimes you just know.” He tapped a finger to his head. “Call it a sixth sense.” He took another step towards Yosuke, placing the piece of paper in his hand. “Why don’t you give it some thought, pretty boy?”   
  
And with that, he was gone. Yosuke could’ve snapped and still be slower than Gin had disappeared into the crowd walking past him.

“...Pretty boy?”   
  
“Hey, Hanamura! What, did you decide to move away early?”   
  
“H-Huh?” He looked up, surprised to see that his group of friends were there.

 

“We were all looking for you! Thought you might’ve gotten kidnapped or something.” 

 

“Nah, I just got distracted by something,” Yosuke replied, nonchalantly waving them off as he discreetly placed the paper into his pocket. He continued on with them as if they hadn’t been separated for the past five minutes, acting as if everything was normal. Which it was! Completely and utterly normal.   
  
Except it wasn’t. That comment rang through his mind.

 

Pretty. Boy.

 

If anyone else had taken to calling him that, Yosuke knew it was an insult or just a jab at him. Nothing actually true or complementary. He would’ve been insulted at the mere thought of being called that. Pretty. He didn’t want to be pretty. That wasn’t what a guy was. Guys were handsome, girls were pretty.   
  
Yet… it didn’t feel wrong when Gin said it. It didn’t have those negative connotations with it, it wasn’t something to get under his skin and make a fool out of him for a laugh or just to rile him up. It meant something. It had to… right?

 

_ ‘But if it did… does that mean he was hitting on me?’ _

 

A chill ran through his body. He couldn’t tell anyone about it, lest he wanted to be teased for the next century. And the rumors? Hanamura Yosuke was actually gay? He couldn’t even imagine living life after that. He might as well kick a dog while he’s at it.

 

_ ‘Maybe it was just an employment ploy to get me interested. Or, maybe it was-!’ _

 

Why was he even thinking of this? Why the hell should he care that some random host guy called him that? A teenaged one at that! He may have had an older look to him but Yosuke wasn’t one to be fooled. Wasn’t that illegal? Shouldn’t he report that? Did the police even care? Why does a teenage guy have to work at a job like that? Why does he care? Why is he still thinking about this?

 

He pulled the paper out, slowing his steps.

 

All questions but no answers.

 

Still…

 

He glared at the paper in his hand.

 

…

 

...

 

“Pretty boy my ass.”

 

His words mumbled, he ripped it and threw it into the garbage, failing to realize that a silver-haired boy was watching those fragmented pieces disappear.

 

“...”

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I'm thinking of maybe making one more chapter with Yu's perspective but I'm not sure. By the time my main story is actually being written, some of this is bound to change, but I think short little snippets can work by themselves. I just think of them as writing practice/character studies really.


End file.
